Wireless communication networks typically employ base stations which are configured to communicate with wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, personal disgital assistants (PDAs), and the like. Each of these base stations may utilize separate uplink and downlink channels for communication between the base stations and the communication devices, with the uplink carrying information from the devices to the base station, and the downlink transporting information from the base station to the devices. Depending on the type of wireless system implemented, multiple communication devices may each employ a separate sub-channel within the uplink or downlink channel so that the devices may communicate with the base station concurrently.
Oftentimes, the uplink and downlink of a base station share a common resource, such that more of the resource being allocated to the uplink results in less of that same resource being reserved for the downlink. For example, in a time-division-duplex (TDD) system, a portion of a recurring predetermined period of time is allocated for the uplink, while the remainder of the time period is allocated for the downlink. Under this protocol, the base station transmits to the communication devices over the downlink while the devices refrain from transferring data to the base station via the uplink, and vice versa. Other resources, such as a number of wavelengths or a total communication bandwidth, may be shared between the uplink and the downlink in a similar manner in other communication systems.